Can the Cavs be that team this summer? Their fans hope so. Reality, though, makes it look unlikely, which doesn’t mean the Cavs think all is lost as they head into Thursday’s NBA Draft.

Barring any late developments, the Cavs will pick 19th. They believe they can find a good player.

“This is a very deep draft,” Ferry said. “There’s a lot of guys who will be NBA players.”

But an instant contributor every night at 19? Probably not.

That leaves fans dreaming of a big trade to land an All-Star to play alongside LeBron James. That, too, is not likely unless someone starts to dump talent and cut costs, and the Cavs are in the right place at the right time.

Boston found that place last summer. Terrible luck in the draft lottery put the Celtics there. They had no shot at Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. Boston GM Danny Ainge looked elsewhere for help.

In Seattle, in the midst of an ownership change, he saw the Sonics parting ways with shooting guard Ray Allen. In Minnesota, a roster overhaul and rebuilding project was set to begin, Kevin Garnett was available.

Part of being awful in Boston meant the Celtics had too many young players and a few bad salaries. Ainge pooled those resources to first get Allen on draft night and then to trade for Garnett a month later.

“It was a perfect storm for Danny, and it worked out unbelievably well,” Ferry said. “He made all of us look bad.”

Phone lines for sports talk radio shows have lit up since in Cleveland – and probably a few other NBA cities -- with the same theme: Why not us?

“I think most knowledgeable fans understand that was a unique situation,” Ferry said.

The Celtics had enough young players -- namely talented young big man Al Jefferson -- to make those deals work. The Cavs, aside from a few veterans with expiring contracts, likely don’t have the pieces available to pull off a blockbuster trade at this point.

But Ferry doesn’t believe that knocks the Cavs from the title picture. The Cavs have James, arguably the game’s best player. They have proven they can defend as well as anyone in the league. They also believe they have room for growth as a team. Their big trade this past February left the Cavs with just two months to jell for the playoffs.

Still, they pushed the Celtics to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals and nearly won it in Boston.

James talked after that game of the need to get better. Ferry thinks continuity alone will help the Cavs in some areas if this group goes through training camp together.

“I think LeBron likes the guys on our team in talking to him,” Ferry said.

That doesn’t mean Ferry is not exploring all options. The Cavs could look to move up a few spots if the right player is available.

Stars such as Michael Redd in Milwaukee and Baron Davis in Golden State could end up on the trading block at some point in the weeks or months to come.

As for their options with the 19th pick of the first round, they could go a variety of ways.

With a front line where only one rotation player is under 30 (Anderson Varejao), the Cavs could go big. That means looking at Georgetown center Roy Hibbert, North Carolina State forward J.J. Hickson, Florida forward Marreese Speights, Texas A&M center DeAndre Jordan or Nevada center JaVale McGee. GlenOak High School graduate Kosta Koufos also could be an option, but only if the 7-footer lasts this long, which doesn’t seem likely.

They also could opt for shooting guards such as Chris Douglas-Roberts of Memphis or Courtney Lee of Western Kentucky, two players with plenty of college experience. If Kansas shooting guard Brandon Rush suddenly fell to 19, the Cavs wouldn’t mind that either. His Kansas teammate, point guard Mario Chalmers, would get a strong look, too, if he drops this far.

“Every player we look at at 19 will have a different story,” said Ferry, who has worked out around 50 players at Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Rush, Chalmers, Hibbert, Douglas-Roberts and Lee each could make an impact sooner since they all played at least three years of college ball. The others are probably a season away from making much of an impact.

Ferry and his staff will juggle those considerations with improving the Cavs for this season and the future.

Chosen second-team All-America by The Associated Press after averaging 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks as a senior. ... Shot 60.9 percent from the floor as a senior and 67.1 percent as a junior. ... Helped Georgetown reach its first Final Four since 1985 during his junior season. ... Finished 15th all-time at Georgetown in scoring (1,476 points), eighth in rebounding (808) and fourth in blocked shots (259).

Chris Douglas-Roberts

Shooting guard, Memphis

6-foot-7, 200 pounds

Early entry candidate. … Named first-team All-America by The Associated Press after scoring 18.1 points per game on 54.1 percent shooting from the floor. ... Helped the Tigers reach the Final Four, making the all-tournament team after totaling 50 points in the semifinals and title game. .. Shot 54 percent from the floor for his career and improved his 3-point percentage each season, making 41.3 percent of 3s in his final season.

Courtney Lee

Shooting guard, Western Kentucky

6-foot-5, 200 pounds

Turns 23 in October, making the Indianapolis native one of the older players in the draft. ... Tied with Jim McDaniels as Western Kentucky’s career scoring leader (2,238 points). ... Averaged 20.4 points per game as a senior, shooting 47.7 percent from the floor and 39.7 percent on 3-pointers. ... Shot 40.1 percent from 3-point range for his career, averaging better than 17 points per game each of his final three seasons. ... Led the Hilltoppers to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in March, averaging 20.7 points in three games.

J.J. Hickson

Power forward, North Carolina State

6-foot-9, 242 pounds

Early entry candidate. … Left the Wolfpack after just one season, earning ACC All-Freshman honors. ... Led ACC freshmen in scoring (14.8), rebounding (8.5) and double-doubles (10). ... Led league in shooting percentage (59.1). ... Set an ACC single-game freshman record with 23 rebounds against Clemson.

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